A brutal crackdown on independent journalism deepens as authorities jail anti-corruption reporters and peace activists under trumped-up charges. Azerbaijan has once again confirmed its reputation as one of the most repressive countries for journalists. Ranked 167th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, it is also the 10th worst jailer of journalists globally, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. President Ilham Aliyev has led a relentless campaign to eliminate dissenting voices, dismantling what little media pluralism once existed. Since 2014, his government has orchestrated a sustained crackdown against independent journalism, culminating in a new and especially brutal wave of repression that began in November 2023. A silent media landscape Today, nearly all media in Azerbaijan is state controlled. There is no independent television or radio broadcasting within the country, and all critical newspapers have been shut down. The few remaining independent media

Honduras is experiencing a prolonged and profound crisis in press freedom, set within a complex social context for Latin America. The murder of journalist Javier Antonio Hércules Salinas, which took place on June 1, 2025, not only shocked the country’s journalistic community but also exposed the deadly risks faced by media workers in an environment marked by impunity, corruption, and structural violence. A foretold death Javier Antonio Hércules Salinas, host of the Facebook news program A Todo Noticias, combined journalism with his job as a taxi driver. As a Salvadoran national, he had been living in Honduras for over ten years, reporting on issues of public interest. This crime did not come out of nowhere. In September 2023, the dangers he faced were already apparent: he was kidnapped and threatened, forcing him to temporarily leave Santa Rosa de Copán. Later, he was incorporated into the National Protection Mechanism for Journalists,

Over the past decade, and with growing urgency since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, press freedom in Russia has collapsed into one of the most repressive environments for journalists outside of active warzones. The Kremlin’s tightening grip on the media extends far beyond traditional censorship. It now encompasses aggressive legal crackdowns, the criminalization of independent reporting, forced media closures, and the systematic persecution of journalists, both foreign and domestic. High-Profile Persecution The case of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal correspondent detained in March 2023 while reporting on a military facility, underscores the Kremlin’s willingness to conflate journalism with espionage. Accused under vague national security charges, Gershkovich was imprisoned until August 1, 2024, when he was released as part of a rare prisoner exchange brokered by then President Biden. His case was a rare exception; his arrest sent a chilling signal to both foreign and domestic reporters. More